New Products—January 2004

Teac Mixing modern style with classic technology, the Teac SR-L50 table radio was made to stand out. The striking minisystem combines an AM/FM radio, CD player, and stereo speakers in one sleek package measuring 15 1/2 x 8 1/8 x 8 3/8 inches. The onboard amplifier is rated to deliver 5 watts to each speaker and another 10 watts to the 3-inch woofer, which can be cranked up using the Bass Boost knob on top of the right pillar. When setting the alarm timer, you can choose to wake to the radio or a CD, and there's a set of auxiliary inputs for an external source. The tuner has 20 presets - ten each for your favorite AM and FM stations. Price: $249. www.teac.com, 323-726-0303

LoeweThe Articos 55 rear-projection HDTV monitor will have you seeing sleek lines and fine detail - and that's before you've even turned it on. Loewe's 55-inch widescreen set comes in three cool finishes and is only 19 inches deep. Its DLP (Digital Light Processing) chip has a native resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels, which syncs up nicely with the 720p (progressive-scan) HDTV format, and a rated contrast ratio of 1,000:1. A pair of component-video inputs will accept high-def signals, as will the DVI (Digital Visual Interface) and VGA connectors. It'll be easy to integrate the Articos with a multiroom A/V system thanks to its RS-232 and infrared blaster ports, and a proprietary connector interfaces with other Loewe gear. The motorized swivel stand shown is optional ($1,000) and a larger, nonmotorized swivel stand with glass shelves is available ($1,600). Price: platinum (shown) or basalt finish, $8,000; high-gloss basalt finish, $9,000. www.loewe.us.com, 508-830-0025

M&KYou've hung your TV on the wall, and now M&K's MP-150 speakers want to join it. With three 1-inch tweeters arranged in a vertical array, the speaker is said to produce an exceptionally wide and tall sound field for an on-wall speaker. It also has dual 5 1/4-inch woofers and a tightly rated frequency response of 77 Hz to 20 kHz ±2 dB. Dimensions are 10 1/2 x 12 1/8 x 5 1/2 inches, and the front baffle is angled to be only 4 1/4 inches deep at the bottom. Weighing in at 17 pounds, the MP-150 is magnetically shielded and comes in black, white, and silver finishes. Price: $999 each. www.mksound.com, 818-701-7010

Sharp With its 37-inch widescreen display, Sharp's LC-37HV6U flat-panel LCD TV makes a serious bid for top spot in your home theater. The HDTV monitor, which includes the table stand shown, is only 4 inches thick and weighs 44 pounds - much more manageable than a tube set with a similar-size screen. It has a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels and a rated contrast ratio of 800:1. The accompanying outboard Audio Video Computer (AVC) scales all video signals to match the set's native resolution and contains all the video connectors, including DVI and VGA as well as component-, composite-, and S-video inputs. Quick Shoot technology is said to improve pixel response time, and the screen is said to be uniformly bright even at very wide viewing angles. The speaker at the bottom of the screen is detachable. Price: $6,500. www.sharpusa.com, 800-237-4277 Harman Kardon Not only will Harman Kardon's slim DVD 31 player - with its gloss black and silver faceplate - look stylish in your home theater, but it has features that lift it above the dime-a-dozen players out there. Topping the list of perks is DVD-Audio bass management, with settings for time delay, level, and crossover point for each speaker. The player also has track shuffle and repeat modes that will work on CDs with MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) files. You can even play music and display JPEGs from the same CD. When playing DVDs (DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW discs are welcome), all video outputs stay simultaneously active, and the progressive-scan output is equipped with 2:3 pulldown processing to compensate for the different frame rates of video and film. A backlit remote is supplied. Price: $349. www.harmankardon.com, 800-422-8027 JVCMaking the move to HDTV but not sure if a big-screen model will work for you? JVC's I'Art Pro 34-inch direct-view TV - the AV-34WP84 - is perfect for bringing high-def images to a modest space. All you need to do is buy a separate digital TV tuner and hook it up to this HDTV monitor's component-video or DVI input. Proprietary video scaling upconverts 1080i or 720p high-def signals to 1500i for a smoother image. The set has two standard-TV tuners to make picture-in-picture viewing convenient plus front-panel A/V inputs for easy hookup of a camcorder or videogame console. Price: $2,500. www.jvc.com, 800-526-5308 Phase TechnologySpeeding to the top of Phase Technology's new Velocity line, the V-12 home theater speaker system comprises two V-12 speakers in front, a V-6 center speaker, a pair of V-Surrounds, and the HV-1200 subwoofer. The floor-standing V-12 is a three-way design - with a 7-inch long-throw polypropylene woofer, another 7-inch driver for the midrange, and a 1-inch tweeter - rated down to 32 Hz. The V-6 has a 5 1/4-inch woofer and a 5 1/4-inch passive radiator along with a 1-inch tweeter. The bipolar V-Surrounds have a 5 1/4-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter, while the ported High Velocity HV-1200 sub has a 250-watt amp and a 12-inch driver - it's rated down to 24 Hz. All components are available in sun maple or black rosewood laminate finish with paintable black metal grilles. Price: $2,300. www.phasetech.com, 888-742-7385